Heaven's Fallen

by Benjamin Medrano

  “I prefer fights like this to those which can become far more complicated, but I do understand why you might feel that way,” Kanae said, looking up from the two and sighing, then she stood and gestured around her. “The hells are a dangerous, brutal place, Isalla. Unless you have someplace or someone to shelter you, conflict is something that is always on the cusp of breaking out. There’s a reason why I told you that your very nature would rebel at being here, and that eventually you’d try to make your escape.”

  Isalla paused, then looked around again, and as she did, her heart sank slightly. It was early in the day, with the red sun not far above the horizon, and she could see what Kanae was getting at, in her own way. The far western sky, what could be seen through the dark clouds that reminded her of smoke, was a deep purple, not the blue she was used to. Behind them to the north was the immense, dark expanse of Hellmount, with other reddish mountains extending to either side of it. Far to their east, she could see what looked like pale white mountains, almost looking like the spine of some ancient beast that had been unearthed, and the sight made her shiver at the thought.

  The rough landscape they’d crossed over the past several days had also brought the differences between the hells and even the mortal world home for Isalla, let alone comparing it to the heavens. The ground was rocky, and most of the vegetation was dark, many of the plants with numerous thorns and poisons, according to Kanae. They’d crossed several rushing rivers via bridges, and she’d seen fanged fish in them, as well as two lava flows that had been far below other bridges, yet the smell of sulfur had nearly turned Isalla’s stomach. If the landscape wasn’t alien enough, they’d also been attacked by wildlife at least twice a day since leaving, showing just how bad things could be.

  Yes, they’d easily fought off the wildlife, but that didn’t change how much it weighed on Isalla, both the darkness and the attacks. It brought home the differences in the world in a way that living in Kanae’s home had never quite managed. So Isalla sighed and nodded reluctantly, a part of her feeling terrible about her longing for the heavens or mortal world when Kanae had been so kind to her.

  “You’re right. I didn’t really think you were when we were at your house, but something about the land here… it’s oppressive. When I compare it to where I grew up… the differences are indescribable,” Isalla admitted at last, glancing toward the sun again. “I wish they weren’t, but there’s no way to really deny it.”

  “I’m not surprised. There are places where you’d be able to rest and relax, but most of the hells are relatively inhospitable. Not as bad if you grew up here, but it’s a shock for those who come from Hragon or farther afield,” Kanae replied, leaning down to take the coins from the demon Isalla had defeated as well. “I’m sorry that it is, but there’s not much to be done about it.”

  “It’s alright; I don’t blame you, Kanae. All of this is… illuminating, really,” Isalla said, smiling at Kanae quickly, worried that her comments hadn’t come across right. “I don’t want you to think I’m complaining.”

  “That isn’t what I thought you were doing, I promise,” Kanae assured Isalla, smiling as she straightened. “We may as well go, though. Scavengers won’t take too long to arrive.”

  “Alright,” Isalla conceded, and followed as they started along the path again, leaving behind the three fallen. Isalla didn’t like abandoning their corpses, but Kanae had explained that there was no point to burying bodies in the hells, as scavengers would just unearth them. After a few moments, she asked, “Where are we stopping tonight? Another cavern?”

  “No, this time we’re going to reach a proper city. Silken Veils, the first city in Estalia most visitors reach,” Kanae said, glancing back and smiling. “Stay close, though. Some visitors don’t have a good grasp of the rules yet when they reach Silken Veils, and some of the locals are a bit more predatory than they should be.”

  “Predatory?” Isalla asked, growing a little more worried. She thought Kanae had said that Estalia was fairly safe for visitors.

  Kanae laughed in response, the sound disconcertingly bright considering the landscape around them, but despite that, it was heartwarming. Kanae slowed and pulled Isalla into a half-hug.

  “Not the type where you’re in danger of being eaten, Isalla,” Kanae assured her, letting go as she continued down the path at a steady pace. “Silken Veils is a merchant city at its core, and it’s dedicated to providing the most tantalizing delights the locals can come up with. Merchants will look for any weakness they can exploit to take your coin, as will guides, companions, mercenaries… the only ones who likely won’t are the priesthood of Estalia, and their motive is simpler, the goal of converting others to the worship of Queen Estalia. It’s a chaotic place, unless it’s changed in the last three years. That’s when I most recently visited.”

  “Ah, that does reassure me,” Isalla said, hugging Kanae in return as she relaxed. The description reminded her of a couple of cities she’d visited in the mortal world, both of them major ports. As an angel, she hadn’t been bothered nearly as much by the merchants, but the atmosphere had been markedly different than anything she’d encountered in the heavens, as the cities there were kept much quieter and more orderly. After a moment, she continued. “I’ve seen a few places like it, but after our discussion about how the hells differed from the mortal world, I was concerned.”

  “I don’t blame you, it was a reasonable assumption. It’s going to be interesting to see what you make of it, considering the oddities of the locals, comparatively,” Kanae replied, letting go and continuing forward at a brisk pace. “I’ll admit to looking forward to seeing your reaction to seeing the city. It should be entertaining.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Isalla replied, her relief turning to just a hint of affectionate annoyance. She might not like the idea of Kanae enjoying watching her gape like a landed fish, but the angel had to admit that the thought of how the demoness would react to the sight of Skyhaven made her want to see it.

  Kanae laughed again, but continued on her way at that same, quick pace. It pushed Isalla to keep up, but that was fine. It was good for her, after all.

  Chapter 32

  Silken Veils was larger than Isalla had expected. The city was built on the edge of a large river, and part of the dark waters had been diverted to fill a moat that circled the city’s walls. The walls themselves looked largely ornamental, as they were relatively thin and were only ten feet tall, but the regular towers each were crowned by deadly-looking ballista.

  The city itself was large, stretching at least a mile across, and the buildings were far more varied than those Isalla had seen elsewhere in the hells, though she had no idea how most cities looked down here. None of the looming, oppressive architecture could be seen as they approached, and the city was instead more like a human city, with shingle roofs and stonework. She could see several temple-like buildings within the city, including a ziggurat made of pale gold stone and illuminated by dozens of lanterns at the center. The city streets were swathed with brightly covered awnings and veils that fluttered in the wind and gave the city its name.

  Isalla felt her surprise grow as they crossed the drawbridge and entered the city, passing well-armed guards along the way, along with more than a little growing fear. The city streets were lined with lampposts, each glowing with a pale light that helped illuminate the streets as it grew dark out. The number of enchanted items the lampposts suggested existed in the city made her nervous, but she was immediately distracted by the residents swirling through the streets, and for the first time she understood why Kanae had said she wouldn’t stand out that much in the hells without her wings.

  Nearly one in five people she saw were human or partially human, and several she saw in the first few seconds had skin and hair as pale as Isalla’s was. Many of them looked reasonably well-off, and the variety of demons in the streets was almost overwhelming, causing Isalla to move closer to Kanae.

  “Hm? Is something the matter?” Kanae asked, glan
cing over at Isalla as they started down the street, entering the swirl of demons and mortals.

  “How wealthy is Estalia? I can’t imagine a border city being able to leave out enchanted lamp posts like that!” Isalla said, gesturing at one, and her protest prompted a soft laugh from Kanae.

  “That? It isn’t enchanted, Isalla,” Kanae replied, circling around a large, ox-like demon bargaining at a stall, and her voice was almost drowned out by the merchants hawking their wares.

  “But… isn’t the light magical?” Isalla asked in confusion, quickly following Kanae as her gaze darted back and forth. She didn’t want to get separated, not here.

  “Of course it is. The lampposts are foci, not enchanted. The temple of Estalia at the center of the city is built on a magical node, and it has an enchantment that causes foci on the city streets to glow if they fit certain requirements,” Kanae replied absently. “The crystals inside the lampposts are simple quartz, and the posts themselves aren’t very special. Plenty of people here make similar lanterns that you can carry through the city if you like, though they’re not too useful since they don’t work inside buildings.”

  “Oh. That’s interesting… a better way to do it than enchanting all the lampposts, I suppose,” Isalla admitted, relieved that the city wasn’t as overwhelmingly wealthy as she’d feared. A moment later, she caught the scent of something that smelled absolutely wonderful, something which made her stomach growl. She glanced over to see a restaurant across the street, the windows open and showing a dining room with dozens of mortals and demons eating food that made her mouth water.

  “Isalla, watch where you’re going.” Kanae’s voice drew Isalla’s attention back to the road, and Isalla blushed as she saw the demoness smile, her tail flicking lazily. “We’ll eat after we have rooms, don’t worry. The food here is better than what I had ingredients for.”

  “Oh, of course,” Isalla replied, flushing in embarrassment. She hadn’t thought her hunger was that obvious, but apparently she was wrong. “I was just noticing that something smelled good.”

  “I’m not surprised; the people here specialize in making visitors feel at home,” Kanae said, and she waved off a handsome demon with red skin and polished golden horns, one who was wearing an open vest to show off a muscular chest and tight leather pants. Kanae told him quickly, “No, I’m not interested, and neither is she. I know my way around the city.”

  “As you like,” the man replied, backing off with obvious disappointment, and Isalla blinked in confusion.

  “Kanae? What was that about?” Isalla asked, frowning. She’d initially thought the man was a… companion, not a guide. He was rather handsome, she had to admit, but not really her type.

  “He was going to offer to show us around the city. He’s likely employed by one of the pleasure districts, and would’ve guided us there after a little while, to try to get us to enrich his employers,” Kanae explained, shrugging as she turned a corner. “That or he works for a brothel, or even a merchant cartel. I mentioned that the people here do everything they can to squeeze your coin out, didn’t I?”

  “You did, but that’s a different approach than I’m used to. In cities up above, the people who do things like that are street urchins or the like, not people like that,” Isalla said, slightly stunned by the explanation as she gave the swirl of demons and mortals around her a dubious look. There were far too many pretty men and women who were dressed in clothing that was both attractive and easy to move in. That being the case, she wondered how many of them had the same sort of job.

  “Yes, I seem to recall something like that. It’s been a long time since I’ve visited the mortal world… but there aren’t many street urchins in Silken Veils. There’s always someplace better for them to be than on the streets,” Kanae said, laughing softly. “No, tasks like this are far better performed by people who know what they’re doing… at least, that’s what the locals think.”

  “Fair, I guess. I just didn’t expect something like that,” Isalla said, nodding in understanding.

  They passed so many buildings that looked normal that it startled Isalla, but some buildings were more like what she expected, with looming gargoyles and heavily armed guards. Still other buildings almost left her drop-jawed, though, like when she saw an elegant house that wouldn’t have been out of place in the heavens, a garden of dark but beautiful flowers that glowed from within all around a small garden in front of the home, where Isalla saw demons and mortals alike taking tea with an elegantly dressed faerie the size of a human, her hair glowing like starlight and with colorful wings like those of a butterfly on her back.

  “Um, I don’t remember faeries being the size of a human…” Isalla said, her voice hesitant. The sheer variety of strange things she was seeing was astounding, but she also was recovering more quickly now.

  “They aren’t. Alteration spells can make many things possible, however,” Kanae said briskly, turning a corner and smiling. “Ah, good. It’s still here… I was a touch concerned that it might not be. Bell has talked about moving to the capital before.”

  “Oh?” Isalla asked, trying to peer past Kanae… and she promptly blushed.

  She’d heard of pleasure quarters before, though most of the nations influenced by the heavens didn’t allow them to form, at least officially they didn’t. That wasn’t to say they didn’t exist, though, and Isalla had seen one in one of the border kingdoms where she’d been stationed before. That quarter hadn’t been nearly as clean and open as this one was, and neither had the men and woman who worked in the quarter been quite as open… or as exotic as the demons in front of her were. Just as an example, a pair of succubus twins were naked in the middle of the street, and she saw a human man wavering as he spoke to the pair.

  “Um, Kanae? What are we doing here?” Isalla asked, any sense of comfort she had quickly vanishing as the heat rose in her cheeks. Saying she was embarrassed would be like saying that lava was warm.

  “I have an old friend who runs one of the more profitable establishments here. She offers me lodging for free whenever I visit, as well as privacy. I very much appreciate that,” Kanae explained, glancing back and smiling as she saw Isalla’s face, and then continued as the angel’s cheeks heated even more. “We may have to pay for your stay, but we’ll have to see what Bell says.”

  “Oh, alright. I guess that would work…” Isalla said, her tension easing slightly… right up until a handsome, winged incubus with silver skin, black hair, and who wore little more than a pair of skintight black and gold pants that hid almost nothing approached her.

  “Hello, my lady,” he said melodiously, giving her a smile that could melt stone. “Welcome to the Boulevard of Exotic Flowers. Would you be interested in a tour?”

  “Um…” Isalla began, taken aback and blushing. She saw the glint in the man’s eyes, but before he could say anything, Kanae interjected calmly, much to Isalla’s relief.

  “I’m afraid that your attempt will avail you little, good sir. The two of us are together and will be staying at Bell’s Imaginarium. Unless she’s changed significantly in the last decade, I don’t believe that you’re one of her employees,” Kanae said, looking at him calmly, and Isalla blinked as she saw the man take a step back, instantly cowed.

  “Ah, my apologies. I didn’t realize that,” he said, giving a deep bow. “Still, should you wish to have a tour, I’m your man.”

  “No offense taken. You had no way of knowing.” Kanae inclined her head and smiled as she spoke. “I wish you luck with others.”

  With that, Kanae reached out and took Isalla’s hand, drawing her forward as she continued down the street, explaining. “You’re off-balance, and that encourages them to try harder. I’ll keep them from trying to pressure you, but that will only help while I’m around.”

  “R-right. I’ll keep that in mind,” Isalla said, letting out a deep breath as they continued down the street. Kanae’s hand in her own was incredibly reassuring, even if she was still wearing her gauntl
ets.

  “Good. Now, Bell’s Imaginarium is an unusual place, and those who work there are all exotic, and the type to be unusual even here. The faerie we saw would qualify to work there, but not many others would,” Kanae said, glancing back as she added, “She even had an angel working for her the last time I visited, so don’t be surprised.”

  “That… well, it’s a little surprising, but not completely unheard of. I know there are demons in the northern lands of the mortal world, though not many,” Isalla said, carefully avoiding talking about whether there were any in the heavens themselves. She didn’t know of any, but in part that was because it was so much harder for anyone to reach the heavens. Even mortals were rare beyond reckoning there.

  “Yes, but I’d rather you knew before we walked through the doors,” Kanae said, circling a cluster of people on the street as she continued onward. “Don’t be surprised if Bell misinterprets why you’re with me, too. I haven’t had a close friend in a while, and she’s tried to set me up with lovers or recruit me for about as long as we’ve known one another. I don’t care for the idea of working there, but I’ve brought a couple of people to her who were interested before.”

  “Ah. I hope she’s not too forward, then. I don’t like thinking myself as…” Isalla began, then blushed as she saw that not everyone was interested in privacy on the street and quickly looked away, fixing her gaze on Kanae’s back. She cleared her throat and added unsteadily, “I just come from an area which is far more… reserved. I’ve never seen someplace like this before.”

  “Well, now you have. And… we’re here,” Kanae said, stopping in front of a gate, and Isalla looked inside the gates with surprise.

  The wrought iron gate and walls were ornate and easy to see through, showing elaborate gardens much like the one she’d seen the faerie in, along with trees that would have been more at home in the mortal world and brightly colored flowers. She couldn’t imagine how they were cultivated here. The building beyond was large, at least two stories tall and more of a mansion than any of the other buildings in the area, to the point that it dwarfed all but two other buildings on the entire street, and the pillars at its corners were beautifully carved to appear as women in flowing gowns, their features indistinct but beautiful. In front of the gates stood a stone statue that was eight feet tall and with a massive two-handed sword at her back. The figure was distinctly female and made of carved green-hued stone, and wore clothing over a shapely, athletic figure, and stared at Kanae with glowing rubies for eyes.